The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1887-02-06
THE MORMON QUESTION.
Soaking to Stamp Out a Religion
and Plumber a Church.

Tho onti-Mormon measure, Know aS
tho Edmunds-Tucker bill, now IN tne
hands of a conference committee o! Tue
two honses of CONGRESS, is an astonlsn-
ing piece of legislation. lncreolOie as
= nav seem. the bill, whose ostensiole
.ohioct 10 rbe determination or the prac'
rice of polvgamy, has for its real aim
the destruction of religion the pun
deriug of a church and the perpetual
Acknowledgement of certain proper
ton of the people. 1t is framed Win
cynical disregard of the traditions and
institutions of the American people and
in reckless defiance OF the constitutional
declaration in favor of absolute rell
gious freedom. Stripped OF disguise,
this bill seeks to stamp out rellglon
nlunder a church of its property, ols-
franchise a class of American citizens
and relegate a Territory to worse than
the sratns of military reservation. by
prescribing a test oath as concltlon
precedent toSthe exercise Of the right oil
Suffrage, thing
WHOLLY FOREIGN AND REPUGNANT
to the genius OF American institutions.
We are aware that it is difficult to be-
lieve that a bill whose Interior aims are
the accom- lishment of these outrages
upon freedom could ever be introduced
in. much less passed, by the American
Congress. Yet such Is the plain,
palpable truth
This bill proposes to put the property
of the Mormon Church In the hands of
a receiver, who is TO administer the
estate. That means plumber. 1t pro-
vides that trustees Of a different
religion shall designate and set aside
what property each congregation of
Mormons shall 10 their (the trustees }
opinion require for religious purposes.
This inuuisItorial and shameful super
vision is meant to destroy the Church.
The right to vote is taken from the
women of Utah, and is dangerous
precedent. The test oath prescribed is
an un-American bit of tyranny. The
right of local self government is taken
away from the citizens of Utah.
Every civil officer IN the Territory is
to be appointed by either The President,
the judges and selectmen he appoints,
or by the Governor. These officers in
clude the sheritfs, constables, treasurers,
tax collectors, and all county, district
and Territorial officers, some 2,400 in
number. Among the Governors ap-
pOintees, besides those named, are the
municipal officers mayors, clerks,
treasurerS and aldermen of Salt Lake
City, with 80 000 inhabitants, and of
about dozen other municipalities.
THE ONLY OFFICE LEFT
to be voted for is member of the Lower
House of the Legislature, the Upper
House or council of thirteen members
being appointed by the. President. II
is an elaborate scheme to subject the
majority to the rule of the minority. 1t
depriVes the Mormons of pretty much
everything except the right to paw
taxes. Andswhen we consider that the
MormOns COMPRISE $50 600 of Utah
population of 10000, we can see the
enormity of this reversal of the principle
upon which, the American government
is everywhere based, the natural and
inalienable right of the majority to rule.
We yield to no one in ouF adherence
and detestation of polygamy. We re-
gard it as a crime against civilization
and an outrage upon decency. But the
act known as the Edmunds law, passed
in 1882, by Republican Senate, DEM
ocratic House, and approved by a Re
publican President, is severe, and is
stringentiy enforced. 1t is entirely
competent to extirpate polygamy,
and there is, therefore, no excuse tor
this plundering bill-no reason why we
should depart from our traditions in
regard to religious freedom, and no
cause for this setting at naught of the
safeguards which the constitution has
erected to protect Americans in the ex-
ercise of their civil,
POLITICAL AND RELIGIOUS RIGHTS.
We admit the power of Congress to pass
this bin, but we deny It's right to do so.
If it can break down the Mormon
Church in this high-handed way, it
can, in like manner, destroy the Catho-
lie, the Episcopal. the Methodist, the
Presbyterian, or any other church in
any Territory or in the District of
Columbia.
This bill is more than a dangerous
encroachment upon religious freedom
and upon civil and political rights. It
IS an extraordinary assumption-nay,
a violent usurpation-of power by the
law-making body, which is surcharged
with evil to American liberties. No
more dangerous attaLk has ever been
made upon our free Institutions than is
contained in this insidious bill, and we
trust it will never find place upon the
Statute Books of the Republic. Jus
tice" in Boston Traretler.